Off To One Side
by BasementOfTheMansion
Summary: They often found themselves together, somewhere in the vicinity of the background. A collection of unrelated Kelly/Toby drabbles.
1. Fallout

**Title:** Fallout  
**Disclaimer:** Uh-huh. Yeah, it's mine. I own the Office. Whatcha gonna do about it?  
**A/N:** Well, I'm back, throwing down the old standby. There's kind of a funny story here... My K/T shipping friend and I got into this fic writing spell on Paul's birthday, and I wrote a bunch of drabbles based on suggestions she gave me. Throw in a couple snippets I had layin' around the hard drive, and instant collection. This one centers around Kelly's freakout after Toby delares Hilary as Not Hot in PFP.

* * *

When Kelly got angry, she got quiet. It was a special brand of quiet, sharpened and honed like a weapon, clipped syllables and long glares delivered with the precision of a chess grandmaster.

Kelly was angry at Toby.

Toby wasn't sure why. Well, he knew why. It just didn't make sense to the world outside of Kelly's head.

It began with the Great Hilary Swank Debate of Aught Nine, and simmered over to the next day. And now he faced her glaring at him any time she had to venture beyond her cubicle and sighing in disappointment as she passed. At first, it was somewhat peaceful. Then it just became worrying. Kelly was usually his only bright point of interoffice interaction, the only person who was ever in the least bit excited to see him on a day-to-day basis, and having her shun him felt like the entire world had turned against him.

Around two, he decided to try to do damage control.

"Kelly?" he asked plaintively, leaning on the flimsy wall.

She glanced over haughtily, tilting her head in the manner of a debutante.

"Um. About yesterday. You know I didn't mean... I wasn't talking about you in any way."

"Right," she said airily, her tone antiseptic.

"If you want to know the truth... You're, um... I would say you're prettier than her."

Her mouth pursed a moment, than slowly split into a delighted grin. "I know, right? Thanks, Toby, I'm glad you see it. And sorry about... you know."

"Oh. That's alright."

"So, ohmigod, I was watching VH1 last night and you'll never guess what was on..."

Toby just nodded attentively. Things felt right again.


	2. Sing

_Yikes! An actual songfic! Okay, it's kind of a meta songfic. This one's set during the speculative future of Jim and Pam's wedding._

* * *

"I can't believe Pam chose her stupid cousins over me as bridesmaids!" Kelly seethed to Toby during the reception. She looked resplendent in a white sundress, even if it wasn't exactly appropriate. Toby felt out of place, strangled by his tie and constricted by the dark jacket of his suit. They sat together at the Dunder-Mifflin table while the rest of their coworkers mingled, danced, or enjoyed the free food and drinks.

"Well, you know, family takes priority..." he murmured, mostly to show he was listening.

"True. My sisters are going to be my bridesmaids. Maybe my friend Lacy, too. Not Pam in million years." Kelly took a swig of her champagne. "This wedding is boring. I wish Owen Wilson and Vince Vaugn would crash it. Then I would dance with Owen Wilson, 'cause he's freakin' hot. Gawd. But I don't have a date, so I can't dance at all without looking like a socially inept loser like Michael." Their boss was currently doing something unspeakable and eighties-ish.

The song changed into something slow, and the lights went down. A male voice crooned softly.

"_Baby, you've been going so crazy_

_Lately nothing seems to be going right..._"

"Aww, man! A slow dance? Life isn't fair."

Toby drained the rest of his glass. "Y'know, Kelly..."

"Huh?"

"We could dance. I mean, I'm not any good, but..."

"So yes!" She grabbed his hand and pulled him onto the floor. He was instantly transported back to somewhere around junior prom, not knowing where to put his hands or how to sway to the music, but Kelly was grinning like a maniac and taking the lead. She pressed up too close against him, but it was nice and she smelled like some kind of flower and didn't care that they weren't doing anything more complicated than stepping back and forth. A smile wound onto his face.

"_Baby, there's something going on today_

_But I say nothing, nothing, nothing..."_

* * *

_The song is "Sing" by Travis, a.k.a. the song Jim and Pam sway to during "The Client." I figured it was a surefire for their wedding playlist, and I got to adulterate something so purely Jam with my Koby obsession. Win-Win-Win._


	3. Speaking and Hearing

_This one's actually pretty old, from my first big round of K/T material. I just never knew what to do with it. This is the only true (100-word) drabble in the collection. Eh, semantics._

* * *

Kelly was loud, and people listened to her. Kinda.

Okay, mostly they ignored her. But they were aware she was talking.

Toby, on the other hand, was so quiet that almost everyone ignored him. When he did speak, though, they had to lean in, hanging onto each word. He boiled his sentences down until they were just the point he was making. People tended not to interrupt him.

The annex worked pretty well under that dichotomy. Her sound filled his silence.

But sometimes Kelly wished she had his gravitas. People only heard the sound of her voice, not her words.


	4. Cereal Aisle

_Another Steph-inspired drabble of sugary sweetness. Really. Better brush your teeth; you might get cavities. Gah... Does anyone remember when I used to write angst all the time? What happened to me?_

* * *

"Hey, Toby!"

He looked up in confusion at the familiar but totally unexpected voice and found Kelly Kapoor pushing her cart down the cereal aisle towards him.

"What a totally weird coincidence! I, like, never come to this store and the one time I do, I run into someone I know! Weird, huh?"

"Yeah." He turned to his daughter, who was standing warily beside him. "Sasha, this is Kelly. Remember, you met her that one time you came to work with me?"

"Hi," she volunteered shortly.

"You want to go pick out a box of cereal, honey?" he asked her.

"Uh-huh!" She ran down the isle, scanning the shelves.

"Oh my god, she's gotten so big since I saw her last!" Kelly exclaimed. "So this is your weekend together?"

"Yeah. We're just picking up a few things. I never know what she wants to eat anymore."

Sasha ran back, her selection clutched tightly in her arms.

"So what did you get?" Kelly asked her, not condescending in the least.

"Count Chocula. It's my favorite."

"That was my sister Ruka's favorite, too! I always liked Frankenberry more, though, 'cause it's pink."

"Frankenberry looks weird."

"Yeah, I know, but his cereal is awesome. It tastes like strawberry."

She brightened at this. "I like strawberry."

"You should definitely try it sometime." She looked up. "It was so nice seeing you guys, but I have got, like, a zillion things to do today, so I've gotta jet."

"See you Monday, then."

"Bye!"

"Bye, you two!" She wheeled her cart away.

"Dad?"

"Hmm?"

"Can I get some Frankenberry cereal, too?"

He smiled. "I don't see why not."

* * *

_Count Chocula is totally my cell phone background. 'Cause I'm cool like that._


	5. The Wrong Places

_Another old K/T snippet. I wrote this around the time of "The Next Time You Go Away," because I was so happy Toby was coming back, I wrote a whole bunch of stuff._

* * *

"I thought it would be different this time," she says, and it's like she doesn't know where to look.

Toby nods. He's seen it so many times, it's just deja vu at this point. "It never is," he says simply.

The Kelly from a half a year ago wouldn't have listened to him. The new Kelly just shrugged a little. "It was. Good with Darryl. But it wasn't enough."

"Maybe you're just looking in the wrong places."

"Maybe I am," she says, looking at him seriously, and he can't quite decipher the expression on her face.

It make him feel uncomfortable and not so uncomfortable all at once.


	6. Misinformation

_No, I'm not gone. Like Toby, I just remain offscreen for weeks at a time then pop up with something insignificant in the background. "New Boss" spoilers, y'all._

* * *

"Oh my god, it's so not fair" Kelly ranted, slamming the door to the annex. "He left! He didn't say goodbye and he left and that stupid tramp Angela stole his scarf and oh my god I'm gonna scream!"

"Please don't," Toby said, standing up quickly. "And what are you talking about?"

"Charles!" Kelly huffed, flipping her damp hair out of her face. Little spots of water peppered her clothing. Ugh, and it was such a cute outfit, too. What a waste!

"Oh," Toby intoned, heretofore unaware of but not surprised by her sudden exponential increase in her affections. "It's probably for the best," he said gently.

"What? Oh my god, you are so unsupportive! You don't think I can find a nice, stable, successful man and--"

"Kelly."

His tone made her stop.

"I think he was married." He didn't think, actually. He knew. The few moments during which he'd ventured out of the corner had been spent making a brief introduction to the man and getting into a short, mundane conversation about previous work experience. Charles had distastefully mentioned Michael's misstep about the company's name, and Toby had reverted to his perpetual damage-control mode. But, yes, he'd mentioned his wife with the kind of casual certainty that stabbed Toby somewhere deep inside.

"Wha... Really?"

He nodded.

She buried her face in her hands. "Oh man, I must seem like such a slut!" came her muffled lament. "I didn't even think to check for a ring and... This day sucks hardcore!"

He laid a hand gently on her shoulder. "It's okay... You didn't know."

She leaned into the touch a little. "Thanks," she sighed, peeking up at him through her fingers. "Sorry I yelled at you."

He gave her a crooked whisper-grin. "S'alright."

They parted, returning to their separate sides.

* * *

_Hmm. Kelly's tastes kind of seem to be shifting to upright, straight-laced older men... Hope springs eternal when you're deluded like I am. As always, thank/blame Steph for recklessly encouraging my drabble habit._


	7. Flicker

_Much like a ninja, you cannot predict the pattern or subject of my fics. I simply appear, hurl a shuriken of WAFF into your brain, and disappear into the vast fog of cyberspace._

* * *

It was darker than it should have been, one of the fluorescent lights dim and flickering. Kelly grimaced, eyeing it uneasily. "I wish they would fix that. It's creeping me out."

"I'm sure they will soon," Toby said hopelessly.

"They won't. Nobody cares what goes on back here. It's like we're on Exile Island."

He couldn't really argue there.

"I keep thinking I'm gonna look over and see someone standing over there like a horror movie. And the pretty girl always gets attacked in horror movies."

"You'll be fine, Kelly."

She sighed dramatically, raising and lowering her shoulders with a flounce. "I know, but..." She just let the statement hang in the air. He nodded sympathetically.

Somewhat placated, she wheeled her chair back to her desk and he heard some staccato typing.

A few minutes later, the bulb finally blew.

Kelly shrieked. "God, what the hell?!"

Toby stood up and checked on her over the divider. She drew her arms away from her face and stared blankly at him.

"I'm going to... uh... I'm going to go talk to someone," he told her. "Probably Dwight," he added with resignation.

She stood up quickly. "Don't leave me here alone!"

He held the door open for her.


	8. Cup o' Noodles

_As if more proof was needed that I only work in cheap cliches... Sick!fic, baby! This was a special request from Steph, who is also under the weather. Warning: Inordinate amounts of fluff ahead. Prepare your insulin shots._

* * *

The productive silence of the annex was pierced by a sneeze.

"Bless you!" Kelly called brightly.

"Thanks."

A few moments later, Toby sneezed again.

"Are you okay?" she asked, popping up and peeking over the divider.

"Mmm... Not especially. Think I'm coming down with something," he mumbled in an overly offhanded tone.

"Aw, that sucks. You should go home."

"I don't... My days are... I'm saving them. I'm fine."

"I have some aspirin in my purse if you need any.'

"No, that's fine. Um, thanks, though."

"I could make you some soup."

He blinked through the haze of sinus pressure. "What?"

"I have a Cup o' Noodles in my desk in case I ever forget my lunch but I kind of totally hate Cup o' Noodles but I don't want to just throw it away so if you're feeling sick I can make it for you and you'll feel better and I won't have the Cup o' Noodles anymore." She smiled, pleased with her logic.

"...That sounds really good."

"Cool." She ducked down to rummage through her desk, eventually unearthing the styrofoam cup and bouncing off to the kitchen.

He stared vacantly after her. It was a nice gesture. Kelly was often nice to him in her cheerful, thoughtless way. He never really knew why, other than the fact that it seemed to be in her very nature. He doubted she thought as much into as he did.

But he couldn't deny that Kelly walking back bearing reconstituted freeze-dried noodles and a bottle of orange juice from the vending machines was about the most welcome sight he'd seen in weeks.


End file.
